Highways & Revelations
by Brainyblonde223
Summary: Austin Moon just made possibly the biggest mistake of his life: he let the love of his life walk out the door. Is that the end for the dynamic duo? A one-shot Auslly love story.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin or Ally, just taking them out for a spin. I also do not own "Highway Don't Care" by Tim McGraw. **

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**Hey everyone, I was PM-ed and asked to write a story based off the song "Highway Don't Care". So to Anon, whoever and where you may be, I hope you enjoy this one shot. **

**If you have a request for a one shot or a story idea that you would like to see me try, lemme know. **

**-K**

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_Bet your window's rolled down and your hair's pulled back_  
_And I bet you got no idea you're going way too fast_  
_You're trying not to think about what went wrong_  
_Trying not to stop 'til you get where you goin'_

He had watched the love of his life walk out that door. She had gathered her bag from the foyer, giving the room one final look over. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. They had shared this space for the past two years and now...in just a few short moments she would be gone with any trace that she had lived there as well.

He could feel his heart breaking as she slid into the driver's seat of her little car, her fingers mindlessly brushing through her hair as she pulled it back. Her tires chirped as she turned out of the drive way, and he knew wherever she was headed...she was speeding to get there and away from the past that dwelled in the home he now lived in alone.

Her hands were tense around the wheel as her knuckles turned white; she was still fighting back those tears. Desperately she tried to think of anything but the pain coursing through her veins. Their last fight had been the one that shattered their already fragile love life.

The strain of Austin's career- his constant traveling, the fans, the back-to-back albums...they had strained their relationship. But the one moment that changed it all was when he walked into their home smelling of booze and shame. He had been out late and the whiskey on his lips was unmistakable.

Ally had laid awake in their bed praying he was safe. Her calls and texts had gone unanswered. She had been worried to say the least, until she heard the front door slam and the unstable footsteps of her boyfriend. When she appeared at the top of the steps she could hear him slur out a 'hello'.

The furry filling her chest pushed her on. It was six hours until she reached her destination and she didn't plan to stop until she made it there.

The images of him sitting in a strip joint flashed in her mind, as her foot pressed harder against the accelerator.

_You're trying to stay awake so I bet you turn on the radio_  
_And the song goes_  
_I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby_  
_I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby, baby_

It's been a few hours since she began her drive and her eyes are fighting to shut. Ally's hand flies to face, sternly she begins to pat the sleep from her face. "Come on...wake up.." she mumbles to herself as her hands begin to play with the dial on the radio. Within moments the device comes to life with angry static...fumbling she finally lands on a station playing music. The car began to fill with the opening notes of a sad song, and in that moment she realized the voice surrounding her was his. Austin's voice was haunting and sad, and in that moment she couldn't take it. Her voice cracked as she sang along.

_The highway won't hold you tonight_  
_The highway don't know you're alive_  
_The highway don't care if you're all alone_  
_But I do, I do._

She swayed to the beat of his voice, remembering the feel of his arms around her and the warmth of his breath against her ear as he sang to her. Ally had never felt more numb inside then she did at that moment. Her heart was back in Miami, sitting in the hands of a blonde boy whom she had loved since they were 13.

_The highway won't dry your tears_  
_The highway don't need you here_  
_The highway don't care if you're coming home_  
_But I do, I do._

That was when the tears began. She could almost feel the whisper of his fingertips brushing the fallen tears off her cheeks. She needed him like she needed air, but how could she go back now? Could she go home and pretend the pain and anger never happened?

_I bet you got a dead cell phone in your shotgun seat_  
_Yeah, I bet you're bending God's ear talking 'bout me._  
_You're trying not to let the first tear fall out_  
_Trying not to think about turning around_

She pulled over on the side of the highway, her hands digging for her phone as the screen went black. Throwing the phone to the floor, the tears came once again. She desperately needed someone to talk to, and that's when she found herself speaking aloud to anyone upstairs that was willing to listen.

"I can't turn around, I can't!" she began her speech sternly. She would not go back to Austin Moon. Ally Dawson would not cave! "This is what he wanted, this is how it is meant to be..." she sighed, leaning into her seat. "But if this is what was supposed to happen, then why does it feel so wrong?" she looked down at the dead cell phone, casting her eyes up toward the rear view mirror, and in that moment she swore she saw him.

"But he is the love of my life, right? And nothing worthwhile is ever handed to you...if I love him, if I truly love and want to be with him, then shouldn't I be more willing to fight? I shouldn't run away just because we fought and things got too hard. I should be there next to him, figuring out how to fix us and how to move on. In a month...in a year, none of this will matter in the grand scheme of things..."

She felt her car jolt to life, her hands were working without her direction. She was turning around. Ally turned the radio back up, a new energy coursing through her. She felt alive as she began to sing with the radio.

_You're trying not to get lost in the sound but that song is always on_  
_So you sing along_  
_I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby_  
_I can't live without I can't live without you baby, oh baby_

"I really can't live without you..." her voice flowed over the radio as the truth behind the words sunk into her.

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Austin hadn't left the spot on the couch that he had sunken into once he realized she wasn't coming back. He could still hear Ally's favorite station quietly playing in the background. A song was playing that spoke to his soul, almost like it had been written about their heartbreak.

_The highway won't hold you tonight_  
_The highway don't know you're alive_  
_The highway don't care if you're all alone_  
_But I do, I do._

The highway certainly didn't care about the small brunette barreling down the highway to a new life, but gosh did he. His voice filled the air around him as he sang along.

_The highway won't dry your tears_  
_The highway don't need you here_  
_The highway don't care if you're coming home_  
_But I do, I do._

He slumped forward, his hands kneading into his sore eyes. The rim of red was surely showing, and he wore them like a badge of dishonor. He knew full well he deserved every moment of this. He had pushed her away when he only meant to hold her tighter.

_I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby_  
_I can't live without I can't live without you, baby, oh baby_

His voice broke as the song played in the background, he repeated the last verse...and in the moment he never meant those words more. "I can't live without you, I can't..."

"I can't live without you, baby, and I won't" a voice from the doorway startled Austin, his eyes darting to the figure who had spoken them. His hands flew to his eyes, desperately rubbing as he prayed the figure in front of him was real.

"Ally...I-I" he stuttered as the emotions he had been choking back flooded out.

She stepped down into the living room, moving to the couch where he sat. He had always admired the way she floated around. It was like watching a real life angel.

Her small hands embraced his as she smiled, "I did a lot of thinking during my drive...and I realized something."

His head tilted in confusion as she spoke, nervous energy building inside his throat. He was hoping she wasn't back to berate him further. But to his disbelief, she leaned forward connecting their lips for what felt like a lifetime.

As she pulled away, she spoke. "I realized that you were worth the fights, the headaches, the tours and silly teenage fans. You are the man I love and the reason I smile. A star can't shine without her moon. And I know I couldn't be Ally without my Austin." her fingers were tracing his jawline and fear overtook him momentarily, praying this wasn't all just a dream.

"I was a fool, Ally. I was struggling to balance a career and in pain knowing I wasn't the man you deserved...I-I'm not the man you deserve. You deserve so much better than what I am." her hands moved to his face, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"You, Austin Moon, are the only man in this crazy world that I want. I should have seen you were acting out because you needed me. But I was too focused on the mess you were leaving behind. We are both at fault here...but running away when things got too hard wasn't the answer. And it took three hours headed in the wrong direction for me to realize that."

He was instinctively pulling her into his lap, he needed her closer...as close as possible. "What do you mean- wrong direction?"

She simply smiled, that million-dollar-Ally smile, "Away from you...so I turned around, followed my heart, and followed it back to your arms." she reached up to brush the unruly hair from his eyes, "I love you, Austin...and I am sorry I abandoned you when you needed me most."

Austin was wrapping himself around her now; he was letting himself get lost in her sweet scent as his fingers re-discovered the nape of her neck. "I shouldn't have acted like a spoiled teenager. I should've used my words...I should've fought for the woman I love."

His sad eyes washed over her face as he continued, "I sat here thinking about our time together, and how I thought I had lost it all... Ally, you're my air...and when you leave I feel myself suffocating without your bright light guiding me." He left a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I could never have done any of this without you..."

The only response that made sense was a deep, unwavering kiss. They may not be perfect...but they knew they could never live without the other.

_The highway don't care_  
_But I do, I do_  
_I can't live without you, I can't live without you, baby_

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**Thank you for reading my first one-shot. I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review and let me know what you thought!**

**-K**


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